Created to create
Living to love
Wanting to write
Created to create
Hoping to help
Practicing prayer
Created To Create
My Man, Moses
When I was growing up in a small town, we didn’t have many television channels. Cable came later. Renting movies wouldn’t happen for a while.
So, around Easter, it was our tradition to watch a movie called “The Ten Commandments” on TV. It’s an Old Testament story about Moses.
Moses may be my favorite Old Testament man.
He fought for what was right and tried to help those in need.
He parted the seas.
He made mistakes.
In my own life, I can honestly say, every single day I make a mistake. (Or multiple ones.) On that note, I can relate to Moses.
I can’t say that I’ve ever parted any seas. I can say I watched the musical Moses when it was in Branson, Missouri and saw their depiction of the seas parting. (It was impressive; can you even imagine what the Israelites were thinking when they saw that happen in real life?)
As I was volunteering at a Food Pantry today, (see the food we took there in the photo above)I hoped and prayed that I was helping others that might be in trouble. While I was there, I watched a longtime volunteer named Bill. And he reminds me of Moses.
He’s tall, and in my mind, I see Moses as tall.
He’s got a cane, and Moses had a staff.
Bill also has a way of making every single person that walks into the food pantry feel special and loved. Every interaction he has is helping someone in need, and he has a knack for making them feel special.
As I am thinking about Jesus…I want to be more like Bill and Moses and work to make others feel special and loved, just like Jesus did for me on that cross.
The Sign from the Womb
Our youngest son was sick today and stayed home. I hope (and pray) that it is nothing serious and he seems to be fine now, thank goodness.
Nearly twelve years ago, probably around this time, I found out I was expecting him, and it was a miracle. Truly.
I know every child is a miracle, but in this case I didn’t even realize I was expecting until I was around thirteen weeks pregnant.
I was worried. I hadn’t taken prenatal vitamins. I had had a couple of glasses of wine. I hadn’t eaten enough fruits or vegetables!
In The Bible in Philippians 4: 6-7 it says to not worry:
6-7 Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.
Because I was in a “high risk” category, I had to go to get a Level II sonogram.
I can remember lying there trying to figure out which body part was which on the black and white sonogram pictures. It all looked alien to me.
Then, the sonogram technician said, “Hmmm…. I’ve never seen that before”.
Those words cause you to fret AND worry!
And, then she showed me the most miraculous picture… our baby was giving me the peace sign.
Yes, FROM THE WOMB.
My God wanted me to have a visual reminder that I really shouldn’t fret or worry.
Guardian Angels and Baseball
Several years ago we decided to try baseball for our two youngest boys. This was the first year they were eligible for a kid pitch team.
It was a hot summer to be playing baseball.
It was a long summer when your team doesn’t win.
And there was one game I’ll never forget.
Our youngest son was slated the very next day to “interview” to potentially get an agent for modeling and acting. He wat at that age when he really didn’t know how cute and sweet he was.
But before he went there, he had to play this baseball game.
He was up to bat, and to be honest, he hadn’t gotten very many hits that season. He was probably a little timid, but was trying.
He was looking at 3 balls, no strikes and I’m sure was excited that he would get on base, when all of a sudden, a very fast ball hit him in the eye.
Scary. Strike. Black eye. And many tears.
And God was there.
The coach came up to me after the game and said, “I don’t know why I did this, but when I gave them the game ball, I gave them one of the soft balls because I couldn’t find the regulation ball.
I was speechless.
I was grateful.
I kept repeating over and over, “thank you God”.
God knew that our youngest son would get hit by a wild pitch, and he intervened. In his mercy, he blinded the coach to where the hard ball was.
Don’t ever leave my boys, guardian angels…..
Luke 4:10
Things We Take for Granted
Things we take for granted
Everyone has a bias and preconceived notions. I have been blessed to be around refugees from all over the world because of the work I do and it has been a great experience. Every one of them that I met is so grateful to be in the wonderful country that we call home: America.
As I was sitting in a meeting today, I was thinking about things we take for granted:
1. When I call a doctor’s office, I’ll be able to understand all the options on the phone tree. When you’re a refugee and you speak another language you don’t know what button to push to get an appointment.
2. When I go on vacation, I’ll know the weather and be prepared. Refugees may not know where they are going to be resettled and we see many here in Kansas City wearing flip flops in the dead of winter.
3. When I go to get a prescription filled at a pharmacy, if I have a question, I can ask the pharmacist what to do because he/she speaks English. For a refugee, there may be no one that speaks their language there. How will they understand to completely take all the medication…even when they start to feel better?
4. Google translate is a pretty amazing tool to converse in another language.
5. Jesus was a refugee. He and his family were fleeing persecution, right?
6. Under 50,000 refugees will come into the USA this year, it is estimated. There are over 65 Million refugees worldwide.
What’s something simple that you take for granted? Thank God for it now!
Things I found in my washer
Things found in my washer
I have ALWAYS wanted to write about the things that are found in my washer. So, warning… this is not profound…….
Coins: If I find them I keep them
Bills: Once and only once did I find a wet, clean $20. See what happens under coins.
Thumb drive: Amazing but true, it actually still worked.
Bobby Pin: This one puzzled me a little. Maybe the boys were trying to learn how to pick a lock?
Little sticks: There have been many of these.
Rocks: Even more of these.
Notes: The ones with a phone number scare me the most. Sometimes they are still readable and sometimes not.
Cotton Swab: It’s been through the washer… would you reuse? I’ll answer for you: NO.
Gum: Seriously, don’t put pieces of gum in your pocket as they go into a hot water washer. Disaster.
Candy: Again, see instructions under Gum.
Sea Shells: I happen to have a soft spot for these, so these always get saved.
Buttons: Now, here’s the rub with these…. Where did it come from?
Boy Scout Scarf holder: Whenever you make a trip out to the Boy Scout store, save yourself some headache and buy a spare. They are under $5 and these things disappear!
Knife: Once someone had put one of my Dad’s pocket knives in his pocket. That got confiscated and also a stern lecture.
I do try and remember to always say a prayer over the clothes that I am folding. That’s probably more contingent on the AMOUNT of folding I do!
Blessings to you and comment below on the weirdest thing you have found.
Friends, meet Martha…
I bought a homeless woman a pastry this morning. Her name is Martha. Please don’t give me accolades, just do something like this today for someone that needs some extra love.
We struck up a conversation because she didn’t know which shoulder to throw salt over because it’s going to be a full moon, she informed me.
“It’s cold out there, “I said. She said, “But I’ve seen daffodils!”
Daffodils? I hadn’t even been looking for them yet.
Sometimes we need to take our phones and other electronics away for a while. I did and engaged in a conversation. If you do that, you might actually see “the man in the mirror” or “the woman in the back of the coffee shop”.
Connect
Start a conversation.
Could it make your pocketbook $3.50 poorer? Yup Could it enrich your life? Well, mine was today.
But more important than your pocketbook is your heart. After bringing her to the counter and letting her pick a pastry, my heart felt good. And who knows…. Maybe Jesus is also enjoying that frangipane tart. He did say, “When you’ve done this unto the least of these, you’ve done it unto me” right?
As I left the store, I asked Martha if I could take her picture with me, and that’s who you see pictured here. Martha told me she didn’t have one of those “fancy phones”. And I told her that I normally couldn’t work it without one of my boys helping me. But today, we made it work.
Friends, meet Martha….
Holy Week Thanks
Pictured here is my first Holy Week thank you. My friend from college allowed me to partake in her cookie decorating “eggstravaganza”. I have no idea how many hours she spent baking these cookies but I felt very blessed.
My second thank you was to the guy who held the door for me at the Chick-Fil-A and gave me the “peace” sign. Then I told him about my post on the sonogram peace sign and he asked me where I blogged! I felt honored!
My third thank you is to the many volunteers at the St. Paul’s food pantry. I truly see Jesus in their eyes and their actions. Volunteering keeps me grounded, and am grateful that Bethany Lutheran takes kids there to volunteer.
My fourth thank you goes out to a woman in the HACWN. While I was making cookies, she was writing a synopsis of the book we are working on to submit to a writing contest. And if you think of it, say a prayer for the progress of our book.
My fifth thank you goes out to the Wordsower’s Writing Conference who invited me to speak at their conference in April. I hope to help others learn more about email marketing. Join me!
And finally, Jesus thank you for dying on the cross for me. I know I forget to thank you as often as I should but truly what would I do without you? You’ve blessed me beyond measure. Beyond what I deserve and thank you for loving me.
Dear Miss Ember
This week a friend of mine had a new baby girl. As you all know, I’m not a mother of girls, but I wanted to write baby Ember a little love note…..
Dear Miss Ember,
Welcome to this world! I can’t wait to see you in person, to hold you and to tell you how much you were prayed for and loved even before you came into this world.
You have the power to truly change the world. And, your power source is a guy named Jesus. He loves you and is excited for you to pray and talk to him about what is on your heart. Always remember that more than anyone else he loves you. (Your family will fill you in on him as you get older.)
On to boys…. My prayer for you is that your future husband (and we do need to start praying for him) first off loves Jesus. And that he loves you and respects you and will always be your biggest fan. And, just in case you wondered, you have plenty of time for this one.
Sleep is next. You’re going to do this for many hours right off the bat, but unfortunately for your parents you won’t do this all in a row. As you get older, you’ll figure it out, but my prayer right now is for your family especially that you figure this sleep thing out sooner rather than later!
Finally, your sisters are going to love you so much. I know sometimes you won’t think it, but truly, they do. I’m sure you’ll argue. I’m sure you’ll cry when they do something you don’t like, but they’ll also defend you and protect you.
Even though some people may say this verse isn’t right for a “girl”, please remember what God told a guy named Gideon. He was the youngest, just like you. He told him, “The Lord is with you, Oh strong and mighty warrior.” And he’ll always be with you too.
Ember, always remember to keep your light shining for Jesus. And, will you please tell your mom whenever she’s ready that we’ll be ready to baby sit you.
Talkin’ to Jesus weather
It’s a rainy, overcast kind of a day here in the Midwest. I’ve been in my car for a long stretch today and I have determined that today is “talkin’ to Jesus Weather”.
When you’re in your car, and it hasn’t rained for a while, you pay attention to the road. Maybe you asked Jesus to send his protective angels to come along by your car (especially after seeing a semi-trailer truck turned over on its side).
Or is it really the weather at all?
Maybe it’s also the destination. In my case, I was going to the funeral of a cousin. These events, I think, make us question many things that we don’t take the time to think about very often.
Could be because it’s a Monday and I need to turn my Sunday behavior into Monday (and beyond) behavior.
Truthfully, we should be talking to Jesus in any kind of weather. The perfect weather of our lives and when we’re facing the tornadoes that we see in the spring and summer here in the Midwest.
We should always be talking to Jesus wherever our destination. He may in fact have a completely new path for us to take and we need to be open and listening to him as he “direct our path”.
And, yes, any day of the week is a perfect day to talk to him. Any day ending in “day” can be used to talk to him.
In sunglasses or in a raincoat, it’s always the perfect attire with the perfect one who made you and me.